Package construction for glassware and similar articles



J. V. HIGGINS Oct. 30, 1962 PACKAGE CONSTRUCTION FOR GLASSWARE AND SIMILAR ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed Sept. 19, 1960 lyNTOR. \/0 n 1/ /m(s' Oct. 30, 1962 J. v. HIGGINS PACKAGE CONSTRUCTION FOR CLASSWARE AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed Sept. 19, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

J. R. NELSON I? TE/GL/iA/D Oct. 30, 1962 J. v. HIGGINS 3,061,089

PACKAGE CONSTRUCTION FOR GLASSWARE AND SIMILAR ARTICLES I Filed Sept. 19, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I I M I x I F A /8 INVENTOR. m6

as expanded plastic.

United btates Patent 3,061,089 PACKAGE CONSTRUCTION FOR GLASSWARE AND SIMILAR ARTICLES John V. Higgins, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed Sept. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 56,878 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) The present invention relates to an improved constructionof a package for tableware articles, this class of articles by convention including, for example, stemware, plastic or metal tumblers, etc., and provides a package of this type which can be used for display, storage and serving of the articles contained therein as well as for the conventional purpose of shipping them.

The construction of the invention consists of a package or container having separable top and bottom portions with at least one of these portions, usually the bottom, being formed by a relatively light, rigid member having sides and a bottom and a plurality of trough-like compartments integrally formed therein. Each of the compartments is shaped and dimensioned to receive and cradle an article resting on its side preferably with the major portion of the article nestled within the sides of the the package member. Each of the trough-like compartments is further provided with a recess formed therein and extending toward the bottom of the package member, this recess being formed to receive the bottom portion of an article and support the same in a serving or display position. Preferably the package member is also provided with hand-grip means along at least two opposite sides thereof. Another feature incorporated in the construction of each trough-like compartment is means for supporting an article whose opposite sides are not parallel in a position such that the uppermost side of the article extends parallel to the bottom surface of the package memher.

A presently preferred representative embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings which consist of the following views:

FIGURE 1, a perspective view of a package bottom member showing a plurality of tumblers supported therein in shipping or storage and display or serving positions;

FIGURE 2, an elevation of the package structure showing both top and bottom portions thereof;

FIGURE 3, a sectional elevation taken as indicated by the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 4, a plan view of the package member shown in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 5, a sectional elevation taken as indicated by the line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIGURE 6, a sectional elevation taken as indicated by the line 66 of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 2 the package construction includes an upper portion or cover 10 and a separable bottom portion 12. One of these portions, in this case the bottom portion 12, consists of a light relatively rigid member molded in one piece from some suitable material such The member 12 has a bottom wall 14 and sides which for convenience will be termed end walls 16 and 17 and side walls 18 and 19. A plurality of trough-like compartments 20 are formed within the boundary of these bottom, side, and end walls and Within an intermediate boundary formed by a partition 22 extending between the side walls 18 and 19 at the height thereof. Each compartment 20 is shaped to receive an article 23 on its side as shown in FIG. 1; article 23 consisting in this case of a glass tumbler having a top diameter 24 slightly greater than its bottom diameter 25.

Each compartment includes a major portion 26 of generally semi-cylindrical shape formed on an axis located Patented Oct. 30, 1962 below the upper edge 28 of the side and end walls of the bottom member, and of a minor portion 30 of generally semi-cylindrical shape formed on an axis which is displaced upwardly from the axis of the portion 26 by the difference in diameter between the ends 24 and 25 of the tumbler 23. As a result, when a tumbler 23 is placed on its side in one of the compartments 20, its lower end 25 is cradled in the minor portion 30 of the compartment and its upper end 24 cradled in the major portion 26 thereof so that the side 32 of the tumbler opposite the side resting in the compartment extends parallel to the bottom 14 of the member 12. Uniform contact results between each article and the container cover 10 as shown in FIG. 2.

This construction also contributes to easy removal of an article from a compartment, especially a tumbler of the type shown, since most of the article extends above the compartment and is separated from the division 34 between adjacent compartments, making it easy for one to securely grasp the tumbler by hand.

Each compartment 20 is further provided with a recess 36 which is located intermediate the compartment ends, which extends toward the bottom 14 of the package member, and which is shaped to be engaged in nested relation by the lower end 25 of an article received in the compartment. In other words, in the construction shown, the recess 36 is generally cylindrical in shape and is formed on an axis which extends normal to the axes of the compartment portions 26 and 30. Where possible, preferred relative proportioning of the compartment and the article to be received therein is such that when the article is placed within one of the recesses 36, the major portion of the article extends above the compartment, making it easy for a person to remove and replace it.

The package member 12 is also provided with a hand grip 40 in each of the side walls 18 and 19 thereof.

It is obvious that a package constructed as described and disclosed may 'be employed to ship articles in the conventional manner merely by placing each article on its side in one of the compartments 20. Each article is then firmly cradled in the compartment and held in place by the cover 10 of the package. At point of sale the cover 10 is removed and the bottom member 12 serves as an attractive display case in which articles can be selectively positioned either on their side or upright. When the bottom member 12 is made from expanded plastic such as polystyrene, it is relatively light, inexpensive, rigid and durable so that it may be employed by a purchaser as a storage rack for articles with each article resting on its side in one of the compartments, or as a serving tray with the articles being positioned within the recesses 36 of the compartment. In all cases the package member 12 minimizes the possibility of damage to the article and its usefulness is therefore obvious to manufacturers, retailers, and users, alike.

While preferred embodiments have been described above in detail, it will be understood that numerous modifications might be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A package for receiving fragile articles of generally cylindrical configuration, larger in cross-section at one end thereof than at the other, said package including a bottom member molded integrally from a plastic material such as expanded polystyrene, said bottom member having side and bottom portions and being provided with a plurality of compartments formed in its upper surface between said side portions, said compartments being of substantially the same width and length as said articles and being defined by end walls at either end thereof and by trough-like side walls at either side thereof, supporting and cradling means in each of said compartments to support individual ones of said articles on their sides, said supporting and cradling means being at a higher level at one end of said compartment than at the other and supporting said other end of the respective article with its upper extremity in thesame horizontal plane as said one end'of the respective article, and each of said compartments being further provided with a recess formed between the end walls thereof and extending toward the bottom of said package, said recess being sufliciently large in cross-section throughout its depth to receive said other end of said article therein.

2. The package of claim 1 wherein said end walls are of less height than the adjacent ends of said articles and wherein said supporting and cradling means at said other 15 4 ends of said articles comprises arcuate recesses formed in the adjacent end Walls and terminating at a level above the bottoms of said compartments.

3. A package as set forth in claim 1 further including a top member having sides adapted to telescope over the said side portions of said bottom member to an extent defined by contactbetween an inner top surface of said top member and the said opposite sides of the articles cradled in the compartments of the bottom member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,518,764 Wilson Dec. 9, 1924 2,722,719 Altstadter Nov. 8, 1955 2,942,301 Price et al. June 28, 1960 

